Bus body



April 10, 1934.

E. O. SCHJOLIN 4 Sheets-Sheet l April 10, 1934. E. o. SCHJOLIN BUS BODY Filed March 9. 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 gmentoz A ril 10, 1934. E. o. SCHJOLIN 1,953,991

BUS BODY Filed March 9, 1931 4 SheetsSheet 5 April 10, 1934. E. o. SCHJOLIN BUS BODY Filed March 9. 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4;

patented Apr. 10, 1934 BUS BODY Eric Olle Schjolin, Birmingham, Mich., assignor to Yellow Truck & Coach Manufacturing Company, Pontiac, Mich., a corporation of Maine Application March 9, 1931, Serial No. 521,052

11 Claims.

This invention relates to motor coaches and particularly to improvements in body construction.

The usual practice heretofore followed in the manufacture of bus bodies involved the employment at high wages of a number of skilled carpenters and cabinet makers to cut and fit wood parts, building first a huge skeleton main frame and then fastening thereon the various outside panels and doors, interior trim, etc. Obviously the manufacture of bodies in this fashion and without the standardization of parts to any great extent consumes much time, results in a waste of materials and on the whole is costly. Besides being expensive to manufacture, such bodies are of tremendous weight which noticeably affects engine performance, operating economy and the handling or control of the vehicle especially in heavy trafiic.

It is here proposed to depart from conventional body building practice and its primary teachings and provide an improved body construction which can be manufactured at lower costs in ashorter time by a lesser number of workmen who need have no particular training or skill and from parts that can be largely standardized.

A further object of the invention is to provide a body construction which can be made up almost entirely of a few light weight metal parts many of which are duplicates and interchangeable and all designed and arranged as to afford an exceptionally strong structure of minimum weight.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction built up by first completing a number of sub-assembly units and then bringing given sub assemblies together and joining them in the desired relation to afford a frameless box-like body.

Additional objects and various inherent advantages will become apparent during the course of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view from the rear of the motor coach having the improved body construction forming the present subject matter.

Fig. 2 is a detailed perspective view showing the several sub-assemblies ready for the final assembly.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the body side wall. 9

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view through a force the same.

fragment of the side panel which forms the lower half of the side wall and is taken partly through the upper portion of a post and partly through the panel beyond the post.

Fig. 6 is a detailed sectional view at the joint between sections of the side panel assembly.

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the forward unit.

Fig. Sillustrates a vertical section taken on the center line of the front end assembly.

Fig. 9 is a section on line 9-9 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a section on line 1010 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 11 is an elevation showing the inner side of the emergency or safety door.

Fig. 12 is a section taken on line 12-12 of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a detailed perspective view of the locking mechanism for the safety door.

Fig. 14 is a vertical section of the safety door.

Referring to the drawings, the numerals l and 2 indicate the front and rear wheels respectively of a motor vehicle, the rear wheels of which are overhung by the body construction and extend into wells or housings 3 in the body. The boxlike body may include folding doors 4 and 5 at the front and rear thereof extending between the roof line and bottom step. The upper half of the vertical walls may consist in the main of transparent windows while the lower half may involve closed panels. For convenience the fuel storage tank may be located at the back of the body and beneath a transverse continuous seat at-the extreme rear, in which case the filler spout 6 may extend through an opening in an adjacent wall panel. This body, which is constructed without a main frame, is preferably formed by connecting a series of sub-assembly units which may consist of separately assembled roof, floor, dash and rear and side panels, each panel in the completed body constituting the lower half of a body wall.

Each panel unit consists principally in either a single but preferably a group of connected sections of ply metal panelling '7 with a series of vertical posts on the inside thereof which rein- By way of explanation it may be stated that the so-called ply metal sheets consist of a slab of laminated wood sheathed in inner and outer coverings of thin sheet metal. Ply metal is of light weight and is a good heat insulator. The inside posts are preferably made in two sections, one of which may be formed of sheet metal having a channel shape with outturned end flanges as indicated at 8 in the drawings and the other an aluminum forging 9 also of channel shape in cross section. The lower end of the forged section is preferably inserted in the upper end of the channel section and secured thereto as by bolts 10 passing through the side walls of the channel and bosses of the forging. In assembling the panel unit the several posts may be clamped in a suitable fixture in the desired spaced relation and then the panel section or sections 7 bolted thereto. If the panel is made in sections, as will usually be found to be desirable, the abutting ends of adjoining sections are preferably located at one of the posts with the abutting ends offset from the post center line as shown in Fig. 6 so as not to interfere with the attachment parts. Holes may be drilled in the panel in alinement with corresponding openings in the lateral flanges of the channelled post sections 8 and studs 11 used to fasten the paneling to the post section. To conceal the dividing line between panel sections a thin sheet metal clamp plate 12 may be held by the attachment bolts on the outside to cover the dividing line and overlap the abutting end portions. For appearance purposes it may be preferable to conceal the heads of the attachment bolts and for this purpose a two part molding 14 of a standard type may be employed, the base of which may be secured under the bolt heads and the concealing part snapped over the base. Bolts 15 pass through the forged post section and adjacent panel section and in this connection it is pointed out that the forged section may be secured to the channelled section either before or after the panels are mounted. A window sill molding 16, which for convenience is a sheet metal part, generally of inverted channel shape in cross section, and of a length extending from end to end of the assembly is fitted over the upper ends of the several posts and secured to the ply metal paneling by a series of studs 17 passing through the outer flange thereof. Molding to conceal the heads of the studs, as in the caseof the attachment bolts 11, may be here employed. Similar molding is shown in connec tion with the studs 18 which hold in place angle iron sections 19 on the inside of the paneling to support the ends of passenger seats. A longitudinal rub rail 20 to extend along the outside of the panel may be secured by bolts 21 to the several sections and serves as a stiffener for the panel unit. The guard rail 22 usually provided at the bottom of the body wall may consist of an inwardly opened channelled part, one leg of which is extended inwardly for connection by a series of bolts 23 to one leg of an angle member 24 whose other leg is fixed to the body by the attachment bolt 25 which secures the lower side panel to the posts. For strengthening purposes the spacer block 26 may be inserted in the channel of the post at the lower end thereof. Each post carries a bracket 27 for attachment to the underside of the floor unit, as will be later described.

The roof unit consists principally in a large sheet 29 of ply metal extending throughout the center thereof and substantially from front to rear. Along each side of the central panel is an arched or transversely curved ply metal sheet 30. Because of the. unusual curvatures at the front and rear of the roof it will be found more practical to use sheet metal corner panels 31 which can be easily formed or pressed to the desired contour. Along the side and rear margins of the roof are a series of dependent posts or supporting legs, each of which may consist of a section 32 comprising an aluminum forging adapted for connection at its lower end with the side panel unit, preferably at the belt rail, and provided at its upper end with an inwardly inclined ear 33 to which may be secured, as by means of rivets, the inturned upper section or lateral extension 34 preferably consisting of a channeled sheet metal bar. The assembly of the roof unit may involve the mounting of the posts in a suitable fixture and connecting the several posts as by means of an angle iron 35 attached by bolts in the upper corner of the forged section. In applying the roof panels the sheet metal ends 31 and ply metal sides 30 are first secured in place and in the case of the ply metal side sections the outer end is secured as by means of bolts 36 to the forged post sections such bolts also serving to hold in place the drip trough 37. The inner edge is secured by bolts 38 to the free end of the lateral extension 34, which bolts also secure in place the overlapping marginal portions of the central panel 29.

Instead of using a panel unit for a half of the front wall as in the case of the other walls it will be found preferable to build a dash or front unit to extend all the way to the roof. One such unit is shown in Fig. 7 wherein the lower portion of the wall is constituted by a sheet metal plate 40, the central portion of which is cut away to straddle a portion of the power plant as is customary in the usual dash construction. An angular casting 41 may be secured on the front face of the plate in order to provide a rest or ridge for the usual engine bonnet or hood. On the steering column side of the vehicle the dash plate is shown as being provided with a forwardly projected well or housing 42 intended to afford increased foot room for the coach operator and to enclose the pedals or foot controls. Projecting upwardly beyond the top margin of the dash plate and at each. side thereof is a windshield post or pillar 43 which is preferably an aluminum forging. Projecting between and across the upper ends of the windshield post is a transverse header or bar 44 which may consist of a number of forged aluminum sections suitably secured together. A sheet metal plate 45 is secured to and depends downwardly from the cross bar and provides a mounting for marker lamps 46 and a box 47 for enclosing the mechanism that indicates destination or route of travel. Just below the box 4'7 is a cross bar 48 extending between the window posts which, in cooperation with the rearwardly turned flange 49 at the top of the dash plate and the two side posts, defines the space occupied by the glass windshield 50.

It will be noted that the windshield extends entirely across the dash unit to afford a maximum of clear vision. Because of the large size of the glass it is necessary to mount it in a way to avoid breakage due to vibrations and jolts as well as twists in the body structure. An effective mounting has been found to result if only the upper and lower edges are confined to hold the glass in a given location. To cushion what would ordinarily be damaging stresses and prevent their imposition upon the Window glass as well as to afford a border 51 of rubber or other suitable resilient material is provided to embrace the edges of the glass and this rubber strip 51 is clamped between suitable abutments along the upper and lower lengths thereof. As shown in Fig. 10 the rubber along the lower edge of the glass is clamped by bolts 52 between a plate 53 and'one leg of an angle iron 54 whose other leg is bolted to the rearwardly extending flange 49 of the dash plate 40. The

upper length of the rubber strip may be similarly clamped against a plate carried by the cross bar 48. Along the vertical side edges of the glass the rubber simply rests against an angle iron 56 secured to the window posts as shown in Fig. 9. In this figure is shown also a rubber sealing flap 5'7 carried by the post for engagement with the hinge pillar of the entrance door in the side wall. For appearance purposes a corner plate 58 may be used on the interior of the post secured in place as by means of a series of screw studs 59.

As to the floor unit, it has been found best to construct thisby employing a series of transverse girders arranged in longitudinally spaced relation to which a group of longitudinal sills may be secured for nailing down the flooring. In assembling the floor the several girders 60, which preferably consist of channeled bars withoutturned end flanges, may be placed in a fixture while the sills are secured in place. The use of four longitudinal sills is illustrated in the drawings with the two centermost sills extending continuously from end to end and the outermost or side sills being broken or interrupted for a short space intermediate their ends at the location of the wheel housings 3. These sills are shown in the drawing as comprising sheet metal channels 61 which are bolted to the lateral flanges of the girders and receive wood fillers or nailing strips 62. Wood nailing strips 63 are also secured to the top flanges of the girders between the longitudinal sills. After the fiooring boards 64 are secured to the sills, as by means of screws, an exceptionally sturdy platform or foundation results. Wells or steps 65 are provided along one side of the floor at the front and rear thereof for alinement with the entrance and exit doors in the side wall of the body. It is to be noted that the flooring ends short of the rear panel unit for the reason that the cross seat over the fuel tank 00-- cupies the space beyond the flooring. To support the rear panel, extension members 66 may be provided, each in the form of interconnected angle iron trusses.

After the several units have been built up in the manner heretofore referred to the final assembly operation may take place. The final assembly involves the mounting of the wall panel and dash units on the floor as by means of the hanger brackets 27 fastened on the several post sections and which are bolted on the underside of the longitudinal sills adjacent the side edges of the floor. This affords an open box-like structure over which the roof" unit can then be positioned for the connection of the lower ends of the several window posts as by means of bolts 67 to the upper ends of the panel posts alined therewith. Thereafter the doors can be put into place, seats positioned on the floor and windows installed between the several posts.

A satisfactory window arrangement is the use of two window frames, one above the other, between each set of posts, the upper of which is fixed and the lower slidable upwardly in suitable guides. A simple and convenient way of mounting the upper window 68 is to use a frame such as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in which a lateral flange or projection 69 is provided along the top and two sides. The upper flange may extend behind the lower edge of the roof panel 30 and. the side flanges may be secured to the window posts 32 by a clamp plate '70 held in place by a series of screw studs '71. The frame for the sliding window '72 may run in channeled guides '73 held in place by a series of studs 74 passing through the base of the guide and into a screw threaded aperture provided in the window post 32 for that purpose.

In most coach bodies it will be desirable to employ a safety door at the rear of the side wall opposite that containing the usual entrance and exit doors. Since this door is only to be opened from the inside in the event of an emergency, it is necessary to provide some simple mechanism for permitting the door to be quickly opened. Inasmuch as the safety door is seldom opened its general appearance is made to conform with the bus side wall and in this connection also there will be no need for a step well in the floor at the safety door. It has been found in the past that if these safety doors are held closed by ordinary latch mechanism which connects the door at a single point in its height, the door soon becomes loose and rattles and does not hang properly. It is proposed, therefore, to employ a fastener which will hold the free end of the door at more than one point to afford greater stability and further to provide actuating mechanism which, while simple to operate, will preclude accidental opening.

A door of this general character is shown in Fig. 11, one side thereof being pivoted in brackets 75 on an axis that will permit the door to open outwardly, the outward opening movement being checked by the straps 76. Along the opposite edge of the door and on the inner side thereof are top and bottom brackets 7'7 in which is pivoted a rotatable rod 78 carrying a number of door frame engaging lugs 79. Three of such lugs are shown in the drawings, one located at the center and the other two close to the opposite ends of the rod. The center lug is shown as being provided with a forked extension 80 in which is pivoted on a horizontal pin 81 a hand lever 82 shown in Fig. 13 in an extended position and by which the rod '78 may be rotated to move the lugs into and out of engagement with the door frame. When the door is closed and the lugs moved into engagement with the door frame the hand lever may be dropped and swung about its pivot pin behind a stop or abutment 83 carried by the door. This abutment, engaging the lever, prevents accidental rotation of the rod and maintains the door securely in closed position.

It will be seen that a body constructed in the manner above described is characterized by the absence of the usual large and heavy hand made main frame, and the fact that the body walls, except at the front are afforded partly by the several panel units throughout the lower half of the walls and partly by the group of windows throughout the upper portion of the walls and between the several window posts depending from and forming a part of the roof unit and being secured to the panel units at the belt line of the body. Because of the large and smooth surface of the ply metal panels interiorly exposed a neat and clean appearance is present which eliminates the need for any great amount of inside trim.

In addition to its strength and good heat insulation properties the ply metal paneling is of Since most of the parts are and interchangeable, there are obtained the advantages of larger production on individual parts and the elimination of the necessity for carrying on hand a large stock of spare parts for service work. Then also most of the parts are usable in all of the several lengths or sizes of bodies which a manufacturer is called upon to produce.

While the above description has been specific, it will be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the exact details referred to and that modifications can be made such as come within the scope of appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a bus body constructed from a number of sub-assembly units, which include a roof subassembly having a series of dependent half posts which constitute a part of the upper half of the body side wall, and a lower side wall sub-assembly to which the lower ends of the upper half posts are connected, said lower side wall unit including a series of relatively thin load carrying panels extending from top to bottom of the unit and arranged end to end with adjacent ends in abutment, a series of interior half posts, cer tain of which overlie abutting end portions of the panels, exterior plates overlying abutting end portions of the panels and fastening means connecting the associated exterior plates and interior half posts to clamp therebetween the end portions of the panels.

2. In a bus body constructed from a number of sub-assembly units, which include a roof subassembly having a series of dependent half posts which constitute a part of the upper half of the body side wall, and a lower side wall sub-assembly to which the lower ends of the upper half posts are connected, said lower side wall unit including a series of relatively thin load carrying panels arranged end to end with adjacent ends in abutment, means to join said end portions including a pair of cooperative clamping elements overlying said abutting end portions on opposite sides of the panels and attachment means between said elements.

3. In a bus body constructed from a number of sub-assembly units, which include a roof subassembly having a series of dependent half posts which constitute a part of the upper half of the body side wall, and a lower side wall sub-assembly to which the lower ends of the upper half posts are connected, said lower side wall unit including a series of relatively thin load carrying panels arranged end to end with adjacent ends in abutment, a series of interior half posts, certain of which overlie abutting end portions of the panels, exterior plates overlying abutting end portions of the panels, fastening means connecting the associated exterior plates and interior half posts to clamp therebetween the end portions of the panels, and a continuous longitudinally extending belt rail of inverted channel section fitted over the upper portions of the plates and half posts so as to be interposed between the top of the lower half post sections and the bottom of the upper half post sections.

4. In a bus body constructed from a number of sub-assembly units, which include a roof subassembly having a series of dependent half posts which constitute a part of the upper half of the body side wall, and a lower side wall subassembly to which the lower ends of the upper half posts are connected, said lower side wall unit including a series of relatively thin load carrying panels arranged end to end with adjacent ends in abutment, a series of interior half posts, certain of which overlie abutting end portions of the panels, exterior plates overlying abutting end portions of the panels, fastening means connecting the associated exterior plates and interior half posts to clamp therebetween the end portions of the panels, and stiffening members extending longitudinally of the several panels adjacent the top and bottom thereof to impart lateral stability to the unit, one of said members comprising a continuous belt rail of inverted channel section overlying and receiving within the channel the upper edge of the panels and tops of the half posts and extending continuously from end to end of the unit.

5. In a bus body constructed from a series of sub-assembly units, in which a pair of side wall units each constituting the lower half of a side Wall and having a continuous belt rail defining its upper margin and overlying edge abutting load carrying panels and a series of half post sections, adjoined to a floor unit through said half post sections; a roof unit including a series of dependent half post sections along both sides of the unit adapted to receive windows therebetween to complete the side walls, and each half post, having its upper portion extending inwardly a substantial distance toward but ending short of the longitudinal center line of the body to afford an unobstructed central space between the posts on opposite sides of the body, a roof panel section on each side of the body overlying the inturned portions of the posts and a central rool panel section overlying the space between and constituting the sole connection between the spaced ends of the oppositely disposed posts, said dependent half post sections being provided at their lower ends with means for attachment with the upper ends of the side unit post sections adjacent said belt rail.

S. In a bus body constructed from a series of sub-assembly units, in which a pair of side wall units, each constituting the lower half of a side wall, is provided with a series of half post sections for connection with a floor unit; a roof unit including a central panel of substantial width, a pair of relatively narrow panels along each side of the main panel, and a series of transverse ribs associated with the side panels and each terminating at its inner end adjacent the inner edges of its associated side panel so as to leave the underside of the central panel unobstructed by connecting car-lines and having as a part thereof a dependent half post roof supporting section adapted for connection at its lower end with the upper end of a half post section of a side wall unit and to cooperate in defining a window opening in the body side wall.

'7. In a bus body constructed from a series of sub-assembly units, wherein a pair of side Wall units are adapted for connection adjacent its lower end with a floor unit and each is constituted of a relatively thin panel reinforced by a series of internal ribs and a continuous belt rail overlying the tops of said ribs; a roof unit having a series of dependent window posts provided at their upper ends with inwardly projecting ribs, a roof section along each side carried by said ribs and a central roof section spanning the space between the side roof sections, and means to attach the lower end of each window post to the upper end of a mating rib in a side wall unit.

8. In a bus body constructed from a series of sub-assembly units, a roof unit including a number of substantially inverted L-shaped posts arranged in spaced relation and on both sides of the unit with their vertical legs extending downwardly to the middle portion of the body side wall and defining window openings therebetween and their lateral legs extending inwardly at the top, a pair of curved roof sections, one at each side of the unit fastened at its outer edge to the upper portion of the vertical leg and at its inner edge to the end of said lateral leg, and a central roof section having opposite edge portions contacting with and overlapping the inner edges of the two side roof sections and supported solely therefrom.

9. A bus body wherein the roof has assembled as a unit therewith a series of dependent half posts adapted to receive windows therebetween to constitute one half of the body side wall, said body being characterized by a lower sub-assembly unit constituting the lower hali of the body side wall and comprising a longitudinal succession of load carrying panels, a series of reinforcing ribs extending to the top of the panels for the mounting of the window half posts, and a channelled belt rail receiving therein the upper edges of the several panels and extending from end to end of the lower side wall unit over the tops of the ribs.

10. A bus body wherein the roof has assembled as a unit therewith a series of dependent half posts adapted to receive windows therebetween to constitute one half of the body side wall, said body being characterized by a lower sub-assembly unit constituting the lower half of the body side wall and comprising a longitudinal succession of load carrying panels, a series of reinforcing ribs extending to the top of the panels for the mounting of the window half posts, and a channelled belt rail receiving therein the upper edges of the several panels and extending from end to end of the lower side wall unit over the tops of the ribs, one of said panels having a wheel opening therein extending upwardly from the edge thereof opposite the belt rail, and a hood secured on the inner side of said panel to end strength thereto and cooperate with said opening in providing a wheel housing.

11. A bus body including in combination with a roof and a floor, of a series of load carrying panels constituting a part of one half of the body side wall, a continuous belt rail of inverted channel section overlying the top of the panels, a series of sectional posts, means for mounting the lower sections of the several posts on the interior of the load carrying panels, connections between the floor and said lower post sections, means for assembling the upper ends of the upper post sections as integral parts of the roof, anchoring attachments at the belt rail for the upper ends of the lower post sections and lower ends or" the upper post sections, and windows positioned between adjacent upper post sections for closing the side wall space between the roof and lower half of the side wall.

ERIC OLLE SCHJOLIN. 

